Grand Library
Exterior Smooth marble makes up the face of the northward building, with marble steps leading past the pillared entryway to the heavy oak doors of Lithmore's famous Grand Library. Housed between the height of St. Aelwyn's Cathedral and the University, this building is among the oldest surviving in the city. Though well cared for, each highly decorative cornice shows signs of wear, the intricate details softer where time and weather have rubbed them away. Above the doors, words have been etched into a golden plaque. Main Floor White marble stretches across the floor in its entirety, unbroken save for where the University's sigil has been depicted in richly colored tile. High overhead, the vaulted ceiling is worked in lapis filigree. A balcony of dark stained oak overlooks the floor, attached to spiraling staircases at its east and west ends. To the north, past a few comfortable couches upholstered in blue velvet, the wall disappears behind massive oak, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with books of various sizes and bound in a number of different materials. A few glass lamps, kept carefully away from the tomes, enhance or fully replace the light coming in from the overhead windows. East Staircase Blue carpeting flows down the smooth marble steps of a winding staircase, a highly contoured handrail of dark stained oak providing a warmer contrast to the cool stone. Partially hidden by the shadow of the staircase, an alcove cuts behind the main bookshelves, housing a few more bookcases populated with older texts. Eastern Archives Made from the same dark stained oak as the larger shelves nearby, a few modest bookcases form the walls of a neat little alcove. A single table and two chairs occupy the center of the marble floor, set upon a navy rug so as to mute any scraping from the legs as the furniture is moved. Alcove for Records and History Several plush couches and chairs fill this side room. Bookshelves line the walls, filled with bound documents and records to organize Lithmore's history. A small half-moon, three-sectioned window sits high near the vaulted ceiling, illuminating thick rugs and patterned upholstery with the assistance of several sturdy, glass lamps. Several old maps, merely sketches outlining the western edges of Lithmore's territory, hang framed upon the walls. The curve of the stained oak railing descends the staircase to the Grand Library's ground level. Scriptorium This room houses all holy texts, the one large bookshelf holding the most important of all reading materials. In keeping with the rest of the library, the floor has been constructed of a highly polished white marble, that glints faintly when the sun shines through the window from the vaulted ceiling above. A few rugs help ward away the chill of the room as well as muffle sound. Several angled tables and attached benches provide locations for study or scribe work, each desk afforded its own pillar candle upon a sturdy iron post. Loft-Balcony A large window of stained glass, topped with a tri-section half circle lets enough light into the library to read by. Shelves built into the back wall hold contemporary works, with a few newer additions centering low round tables. Plush, comfortable chairs graze upon thick rugs, alone or in pairs angled towards each other. The balcony railing, made of thick, dark stained oak posts, looks out over the library's main floor. Tucked aside when not in use, a slender but heavy podium stands ready for use in lectures or formal debate. Alcove for the Arts Tall bookcases hide the walls and muffle sound in this alcove off the stairway. Patterned and tasseled rugs, laid haphazardly upon the stone floor, mar the exacting symmetry of the layout for the room's grouped tables and chairs. A few gilded scroll racks carry bound scripts, and miniature replicas of various instruments have been used as bookends on some of the shelves. Glass lamps spread circles of light that overlap upon the floor. West Staircase Blue carpeting flows down the smooth marble steps of this winding staircase, a highly contoured handrail of dark stained oak providing a warmer contrast to the cool stone. Partially hidden by the shadow of the staircase, an alcove cuts behind the main bookshelves, housing a few more bookcases populated with less explored subjects. Paintings framed with the same dark oak follow the curve of the wall, placed intermittently between iron sconces supporting suspended glass lamps. Western Archives Made from the same dark stained oak as the larger shelves nearby, a few modest bookcases form the walls of a neat little alcove. Two round tables and their accompanying chairs occupy the center of the marble floor, set upon a navy rug so as to mute any scraping from the legs as the furniture is moved. Glass lamps with heavy bases sit upon the tables, offering warm but dim light that leaves a nearby, decorative marble bust in shadow. Category:Locations